Did you know what these famous brands actually sold before switching industries? Read on to find more.

We all love to hear brand stories, don't we? We discuss about them on lunch table, debate upon them in school and write a paper on them.

It's always fun to know about the different brands we use, things like how they came about being, their journey, values and other related things.

One thing that baffles me is that some brands find their niche and stick to it and some switch to other industries in the long run. And why not in order to thrive brands need to evolve and adapt to the market.

Here are 10 brands that switched industries and adapted to the market:

Happy reading!

1. Abercrombie & Fitch

David Abercrombie, the man behind the American retailer that focuses on the clothing for the young started the clothing store in the city of New York in 1892. Well, when he began he wasn't actually thinking of selling clothing for the young, the store was originally a sporting goods shop and outfitter. Things changed for A&F in 1988, when Limited Brands bought it.

2. Avon

David H. McConnell started Avon, one of today's leading global beauty company in 1886. He originally sold books door-to-door and while he was doing that he came up with a very unique marketing technique. In order to lure his female customers into buying his books, McConnell started offering them perfumes as gifts. Soon the perfume that McConnell was giving away became popular and he switched industries, and founded the California Perfume Company, that later came to known as Avon.

3. Colgate

William Colgate, the man behind this known brand, founded the company in 1806 and was initially selling English soap, candles and starch in the city of New York, under the name 'William Colgate & Company'. The first toothpaste was made in the year 1873, an aromatic toothpaste that was sold in jars.

4. DuPont

Du Pont was founded in 1802 by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, a French immigrant, originally manufactured gunpowder. The company grew quickly and was the largest supplier of gunpowder to the United States military. In 1902, the company expanded its business and started manufacturing dynamite and other explosives before going into more diversified chemicals.

5. Hasbro

Hasbro needs no introduction. The company initially known as 'Hassenfeld' was founded in 1923 by the Hassenfeld brothers; Henry, Hilal, and Herman and was originally selling textile remnants. The Hassenfeld Brothers later expanded their business and started making pencil cases and school supplies. It was in the 1940s that the Hassenfeld Brothers started making toys. Their first toy hit was Mr. Potato Head (remember the Disney movie, Toy Story).

6. Nokia

The telecom giant, Nokia was founded in 1865 in Finland, when Fredrik Idestam opened a pulp mill on the banks of Tammerkoski rapids in the town of Tampere and started making paper. The company switched industries many times before getting serious about the telecom industry.

7. Reading Entertainment

Reading Entertainment that operates movie theaters in Australia, New Zealand and the US under the Reading Cinemas trade name was initially known as 'Reading Company', founded in 1833, and was originally into the railroad business.

In 1976, it got out of the railroad business and was named as its known today.

8. Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany and Co. was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young in the year 1837 in the city of New York. They originally sold a wide variety of stationery items and operated as 'Tiffany, Young and Ellis' in Lower Manhattan. In 1853, when Charles Tiffany took control she shortened the name to Tiffany & Company and began focusing on jewelry.

9. Wrigley

William Wrigley, Jr. founded the company in 1891 in Chicago and was selling soap and baking powder. Just like Avon's McConnell, he too had a unique way of attracting buyers, he used to offer them chewing gum and soon the company's focus was shifted to manufacturing gum.

10. Xerox

Xerox was founded in 1906 in Rochester and was the known as 'The Haloid Photographic Company' that was originally manufacturing photographic paper and equipment. The first photocopier was made in the year 1959 and was known as Xerox.

These are just a few but some really known brands in their respective industries. If you have more to add to these amazing brand stories then leave us a line in the comment section below.

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